The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) Group has welcomed the European Parliament’s rejection of the European Commission’s proposed Forest Monitoring Regulation, warning that it would have violated the subsidiarity principle, imposed excessive bureaucracy, and transferred key responsibilities from Member States to Brussels.

Speaking after the vote, ECR Shadow Rapporteur in the Environment Committee Beatrice Timgren said:

“Forestry policy should stay where it belongs – in the hands of Member States and those who know their forests best. The Commission’s proposal would have created unnecessary bureaucracy, duplicated existing systems, and undermined national expertise. Europe’s forests need competent national management, not EU micromanagement.”

ECR Shadow Rapporteur in the Committee on Agriculture Waldemar Buda said:

“We support better information and cooperation, but this proposal went far beyond monitoring. It was an attempt to control national forestry policy through delegated acts and centralised data systems. The Parliament’s decision sends a clear message: forest protection is a shared European concern, but not a centralised competence.”

The ECR Group underlined that the Commission’s proposal failed the test of proportionality, risked disclosing sensitive geo-referenced data, and offered no clear financial or practical benefits. The Group remains committed to practical environmental protection based on subsidiarity, proportionality, and respect for national competences.

The final vote in plenary confirmed the prior rejection of the Commission’s proposal in Committee, with 370 votes in favour, 264 against, and 9 abstentions.